Chronicles of an Airman: Discovering Purpose 6,500 Miles from Home

By Ryaja Johnson Rhone

If you have ever wondered what daily life is like for a deployed U.S. service member, Chronicles of an Airman: Discovering Purpose 6,500 Miles from Home is the book for you.

Chronicles of an Airman takes you on an unprecedented, exciting journey of professional, personal, and spiritual growth. You experience a different side of deployed life than what you see, hear, or read in the media. You witness the uncompromising candor of commanding a squadron. You tag along as the author discovers her purpose. You observe how serving her country led to a lifetime commitment to serve her community.

Chronicles of an Airman will make you laugh out loud, cry softly, and take pause to reflect on your own life. The journey will resonate in the hearts and minds of those who read it. Guaranteed to simultaneously entertain and inspire, Chronicles of an Airman is a must read!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryaja Johnson Rhone
• Release date: Aug 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9780983762607

Ryaja Johnson Rhone

A former Captain in the United States Air Force, Ryaja Johnson Rhone served seven years as a Contracts Negotiator. In March 2007, while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Ryaja’s passion to serve led her from serving her country to serving her community. She separated from the Air Force in September 2007 to devote her life to serving those with greater needs than her own.

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Chronicles of an Airman: Discovering Purpose 6,500 Miles from Home

Ryaja Johnson Rhone

Copyright 2011 by Ryaja Johnson Rhone

Published by Freeworld Enterprises, LLC at Smashwords

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Cover Design by Melanie Shellito

Typeset by Kristeen Wegner

Ebook conversion by Lemuel Johnson

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Lord,

Please bless us and enlarge our territory.

Keep your hand upon us so that evil will not harm us.

Work through us to accomplish what we cannot.

Amen.

Inspired by 1 Chronicles 4:10

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

AUTHOR’S NOTE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SECTION I THE CALL

CHAPTER 1 WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

CHAPTER 2 POWER IN PREPARATION

SECTION II THE CHRONICLES

CHAPTER 3 6,500 MILES FROM HOME

CHAPTER 4 IN THE COMMANDER’S SEAT

CHAPTER 5 MY PATH TO PURPOSE REVEALED

CHAPTER 6 CELEBRITY STATUS

CHAPTER 7 CONTRACTOR WOES

CHAPTER 8 BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER,THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

CHAPTER 9 MOUNTING FRUSTRATION

CHAPTER 10 RUN RYAJA RUN

CHAPTER 11 HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

CHAPTER 12 OPERATION GET SHADY 1 & 2 CONTINUES

CHAPTER 13 I RELINQUISH COMMAND

SECTION III THE MOMENT OF INTROSPECTION

CHAPTER 14 COMMAND REFLECTION

CHAPTER 15 ON THE HOME FRONT

CHAPTER 16 IT STARTS WITH A RELATIONSHIP

SECTION IV THE EPILOGUE

CHAPTER 17 STEPPED OUT TO STEP IN

CHAPTER 18 MY PRAYER REVISITED

APPENDIX U.S. AIR FORCE RANK & WING STRUCTURE

DEDICATION

To my parents, Delmer and Naomi Johnson, I know my accomplishments are due to your prayers, guidance, and unyielding support. The sacrifices you made to raise your family have not gone unnoticed and are greatly appreciated. Love always.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

All names have been withheld or changed, with exception of my husband Jamie, to protect each individual’s privacy.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I must first give honor and praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I thank God for ordering my steps and for abundantly blessing me.

To my husband, Jamie, I thank you for your endless support, encouragement, and love. You are truly my #1 fan, as I am yours.

My family and friends, who are too numerous to name, I am forever indebted to you for your prayers and care packages during my deployment and for encouraging me to turn my deployment diary, What’s Happening Now, into this book.

To the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, I thank you for the daily sacrifices you make to keep our nation safe. May the grace of God be with you always.

Very special thanks to the following people who so graciously volunteered to read my manuscript, in various stages of revision, and provide valuable feedback: Zoee Bartholomew, Kathy Dooley, Julie Hall, Trenita Hodge-Mims, J.J. Johnson, Komoia Johnson, Naomi Johnson I, Nakobee Johnson, Saphronia Johnson, Tisha Johnson, Jamie Rhone, Judith Rhone, Keenan Sease, and Glenn Worthington.

My undying gratitude goes out to four very special people who generously gave their time and expertise: Brendan Epps, Linda Goldfarb, Valerie Hough, and Rhonda Larson. Your level of professionalism, attention to detail, and desire to help make this a quality book kept this project alive.

SECTION I

Call can be defined in several ways. For the purpose of this section, call is defined as being formally summoned. I was called to deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom by my Air Force leaders. Due to my deployment experiences, I was also called to write this book by those who felt my story had to be shared with others.

CHAPTER 1

I became a writer the second I stepped off the airplane at Manas International Airport. The moment my feet touched the tarmac, I had a strong feeling my life would never be the same. There was a story waiting to be told, and I was ready to tell it.

Through my daily journaling while deployed, I discovered the gift of writing, an ability I did not know I possessed. At the urging of several family members and dear friends, my weekly e-mail updates, entitled What’s Happening Now, evolved into the book you now hold in your hands.

What’s Happening Now was conceived late one night in January 2007, shortly before I deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyz Republic (the official name of Kyrgyzstan after the fall of the Soviet Union). It began with an e-mail sent to my family and friends informing them of my impending departure. In response, I received numerous replies requesting pictures and periodic updates.

I compiled a list of e-mail addresses from family, friends, and co-workers who requested I stay in touch. Altogether, I had seventy-seven names and e-mail addresses. Flattered yet overwhelmed by the response, I could foresee having neither the time nor the inclination to write all seventy-seven people personalized e-mails.

I was forced to think of an efficient way to stay in touch. At that moment, I had an epiphany. I decided to chronicle my deployment and call it What’s Happening Now. It would serve a dual purpose. Foremost, What’s Happening Now would be my deployment diary, a journal of my daily experiences. Secondarily, it would provide my seventy-seven closest acquaintances daily snapshots of deployed life through my eyes.

I received rave reviews of my first edition of What’s Happening Now. I had no idea my deployment diary would take on a life of its own. If numerous people had not told me so, I never would have thought my writings were so entertaining, informative, and inspiring. Who would have guessed writing about everyday life in a deployed environment would have such a powerful impact on so many lives?

I never thought of myself as a writer, but the continuous positive feedback I received convinced me otherwise. Those seventy-seven acquaintances forwarded my weekly e-mail updates to countless associates-who anxiously awaited their next edition of What’s Happening Now.

When I e-mailed my last edition a few days prior to my return home, I received numerous replies expressing delight in my redeployment but disappointment in the conclusion of What’s Happening Now. Some reported vicariously living through my experiences and not wanting the adventure to end.

My chief reason for e-mailing weekly updates was to provide my family, friends, and co-workers vivid descriptions of deployed life. However, God used my newfound talent to connect and inspire. I freely disclosed my inner struggles and fears, good and bad decisions, and triumphs and setbacks. I did not want the embarrassment of my insecurities to prevent me from candidly sharing with others. Above all else, I wanted to be authentic.

By allowing myself to be transparent, I opened the door for others to do the same. Through my journaling I was introduced, for what seemed like the first time, to people I have known for years. People I did not know on a spiritual level told me that it helped to read that some of the struggles in my personal relationship with God were similar to their struggles. Folks shared stories of contentment and disappointment in their spiritual walk. Our shared experiences allowed us to connect as never before.

I was humbled by the thought that my writings had touched so many people in ways I never imagined it would or could. This knowledge has motivated me to share my journey with a broader audience.

I invite you to relive the journey with me as I chronicle my professional, personal, and spiritual growth. Witness the candid peaks and valleys of an Air Force captain and first-time squadron commander. Walk with me as I discover purpose. Find out why I went to the Kyrgyz Republic ready to serve my country and returned to the United States ready to serve my community.

What is purpose? I like to think purpose is the reason we were created, why we exist. No one was put on Earth by accident. We are here for a reason; that reason is God’s will for each individual, our purpose. In the New Testament books of Matthew and Mark, Jesus gave the great commission to His disciples to go into the world and teach the Good News of Christ. This command is still relevant today. As Christians, our purpose is to glorify God